


Soulmate (MA)rks

by Duthea



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Transphobia, the transphobia stuff is pretty brief and minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duthea/pseuds/Duthea
Summary: At some point of your life, a soulmate mark will appear on you. The first words your soulmate will say to you will be written on your skin... But that's not a thing on Earth, so to Yuuri, the unknown language on his wrist is just a weird birthmark until he arrives in Shin Makoku.





	Soulmate (MA)rks

**Author's Note:**

> So I previously posted this on my Tumblr and Livejournal so if it seems familiar that'd be why! This is my first work on AO3 and I have no idea what I'm doing

"Hey, Conrad, do you know what this is?"

"Ah, that's-"

A bizarre-looking birthmark.

That's all it had been since I was born. It was a real annoyance how people kept asking about it whenever they saw it, just like how people kept going "Harajuku Furi" whenever they heard my name. Besides that small annoyance, it didn't affect my life.

But now, I figured that maybe it was to blame for my current problem of sudden and unexpected "I Fell Into Another World Through A Toilet And Now Everybody Keeps Either Throwing Rocks At Me Or Calling Me "Your Majesty?!""-ism.

"-A soulmate mark, your Majesty."

"Ahh, I knew it, it had to be something like that..."

Yeah, this little thing was probably what marked me as a demon king in the first place.

"You can't read it, right? Would you like me to tell you what it says?"

"So it's writing? Sure, go ahead."

Conrad took my hand and looked at it as if he were a fortuneteller at a fair.

"This is the new Demon King?"

"You're the one who claimed I was, you know."

"Ah, no, that's what the mark says, Your Majesty."

"The mark? Ahh, I see, I see..."

So it really was like that. This marked me as the Demon King, huh? But why such an uncertain way to state it? With a mystical mark on your skin, you'd think it'd be more like, "This man shall be the Demon King," or something. Way to be flaky, birthmark.

So I dropped that issue and changed the subject, asking about something else, and Conrad didn't say anything more on the subject.

I really should've asked more about that, in retrospect.

But no, by the time my horse bucked me off and I fell on my rear in front of the Blood Pledge Castle, I'd forgotten all about it.

As I sit there wincing with my butt sore, I hear a voice from above.

"This is the new Demon King?"

I look up, and whoa! An incredibly, amazingly, angelically beautiful boy with golden blonde hair and eyes as green as the bottom of a lake.

"What a pretty boy..."

I mutter, staring at him dumbly.

He makes a weird noise, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open.

Ah, I made a fool of myself, didn't I? I'm doing such a bad job of being a demon king.

"What did you just say?!"

The pretty boy demands, stepping closer down the stairs.

"Ah, sorry if I offended you... But I don't think it was really that offending in the first place. I mean, I only called you pretty... Well, uh, you can forget that if you want, we can pretend it didn't happen..."

As I say that, I get myself off the floor, wiping sand off my butt. What an uncool first impression.

"So it really is you," the pretty boy says, glaring at me.

"Well, yes, I suppose it is..."

Conrad and Günther both said so, after all. Look, it was difficult for me to accept I'm the demon king too, so cut me some slack.

"Humph! You'd better not expect any special treatment from me!" the pretty boy huffs, turning his nose up.

"I'm not? I mean, this is all new for me, so I wouldn't know to expect anything anyway."

He considers me for a moment, then crosses his arms.

"...I suppose I'm at least happy you're here, anyway," he says, cheeks flushing a bit red.

"Oh... Really? Thank you," I say, smiling. I guess he's one of those "tsunderes" my brother keeps raving about. But anyway, it's not like this was romantic or anything! He was just happy to have a demon king, just like Conrad and Günther were!

Speaking of them, they finally arrive on their horses, asking if I'm all right, and the sullen-looking Godfather-type man I saw before brings my horse back to me.

Through the conversation that ensues, I find out the angelic pretty boy was named Wolfram von Bielefeld, and sullen Godfather was Gwendal von Voltaire... and both of them were Conrad's brothers. How?!

The pretty boy- er, that is, Wolfram- keeps glancing my way throughout the conversation, and looking away in a huff when he catches me looking at him. He's not too happy with me as a king, is he? Well, sorry about that.

\---

After an eventful few hours, which included a dangerous yet sexy meeting in the bath, having my allegedly royal butt exposed to some maids in an unfortunate accident, being shown several paintings of my much-more-royal-looking precessedors, finding out about the methods of succession in this country, and more, I was about ready for today to be over. Unfortunately, it looks like dinner's gonna be stressful too...

The three brothers that don't look alike sit with me at the table, in full uniform, and apparently their sexy queen of a mother, the previous demon king, too. So the atmosphere is unbearably awkward! And the sexy queen- I mean, lady Cheri- started flirting with me after greeting her sons? Is she really their mother? I mean, Gwendal looks older than her!

"Mother!" the youngest brother, the only one with family resemblance, snapped at her. "Stop that! I feel disgusted just watching you! Think about your station and his!"

The mother pouted and complained, but drew back to bother Wolfram instead, to my relief.

The dinner started, and I wasted no time making etiquette mistakes. And even worse than that, the conversation seems to move to critiquing my ability and readiness to be the demon king, with both Gwendal and Wolfram against and Conrad for, while Cheri takes no sides. And here I was starting to think of Wolfram as my ally, but it looks like he only barely tolerates me...

When Wolfram insults my mother, I've moved to slap him before my thoughts catch up to me. Ah, I'll regret this later, but my sense of justice won't let me stand still at a time like this.

Wolfram stares at me, his cheek reddening, thrown off by the smack.

The room is silent. Conrad's chair clatters as he stands up.

"Your majesty, take it back immediately-"

"No!"

Yeah, I'm not apologizing. Even though I wasn't thinking, I won't take it back now, no matter what trouble I get into.

Wolfram stares at me, slowly raising a hand to touch his cheek as I rant at him in defense of my mother. Ah, but I'm glad I had enough sense not to punch him. His face is pretty, after all, so I wouldn't want to harm it.

Cheri claps her hands together and speaks in a happy tone that throws everything off.

"How wonderful! The engagement is complete!"

Huh, what? Engagement, as in... what? Cheri's talking to her youngest son, and I turn to Günther, my dear tutor, hoping to gain some kind of understanding on what I did wrong. His explanation, while enlightening, isn't exactly relieving.

"Ma, ma, marriage??! I proposed to him?! When?! What?!"

When I slapped him, apparently. Günther starts to cry, but I'm not sure they're tears of joy. Actually, I almost want to cry myself.

"How dare you..."

The youngest son finally regains his wits and manages to talk, low and threatening. He steps closer, his beautiful eyes glaring at me fiercely.

"Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean you can do what you want, you mixed scum!"

Wolfram's shouted statement leaves everyone staring in surprise.

"Huh? We're what?" I ask. What a bizarre thing to say. Soulmates... like the red string of fate and such? Maybe it has a different meaning in this world. I turn to Günther, who's leaking tears so much he can't form words. No help from him this time, I guess.

"He's your soulmate?!"

That surprisingly loud exclamation came from Gwendal just as I was about to turn to Conrad for help.

"Wolfram, have you confirmed it?" Gwendal asks his younger brother. "Have you seen his mark?"

Wolfram, eyes widening in some sort of a realization, shakes his head.

"Then, what were your first words to him?" Gwendal asks. He's surprisingly frazzled about this... whatever "this" is.

Cheri waits in excitement next to her son, ready to hang on to his next words. Everybody else in the room seems to be holding their breath, waiting for Wolfram to say it.

"...I said, "This is the Demon King?""

Everybody turns to look at me in an instant. Cheri with her eyes shining, Gwendal with a wide-eyed glare, Wolfram with wary expectation, and Günther with his face wet. Conrad, my only ally in this moment, steps in front of me.

"...I can confirm. Having seen his Majesty's mark with my own eyes, I can tell you it matches."

"And- and the- Your Majesty! What were your first words to lord Bielefeld?!" Günther chokes out through his tears.

"Huh?! What the... That's kind of a weird thing to ask... Uhhh..."

Thinking back to it, didn't I say something embarrassing like...

""What a pretty boy"... I think? Man, how embarrassing..."

"It is him! Ooh, Wolf, it's him! How wonderful!" Cheri launched herself to hug her son.

"I can't believe it..." Gwendal muttered.

"C-co-co-congratulations, y-your ma-ma-magesteeehhh!!" Günther blubbered.

The second son only smiled.

"Wait, wait a second. Can somebody please tell me what's going on? Conrad?"

"Ah, that's right... You don't have soulmate marks where you're from, Your Majesty?"

"Of course not! Why would we have something I don't know anything about?"

"You see, in our world, everybody gets a mark on their wrist or forearm. That mark is called the soulmate mark. It's called that because written on that mark are the first words your soulmate will ever say to you."

Conrad explained this calmly, but I was getting less and less calm with every word he said.

"Say what?! Are you telling me that this weird birthmark, it's not the symbol of me being the demon king, but something like a red string tied around my little finger? And- Hold on, are you really saying that ever since I was born with this mark on me, I was predestined to fall off a horse in front of Wolfram and have him looking down on me with derision and say the words written on my wrist?"

"Something like that. Well, it isn't as if the way you meet was predestined, simply the words you'd say to each other."

"Isn't that seriously weird?! And anyway, does that mean the embarrassing sentence I said while stunned by- I mean, the thing I said back there, was that written on Wolfram's wrist since he was born?"

"No, it only appeared around fifteen years ago."

Fifteen years ago... When I was born?

"That's right!" Cheri said, still hugging Wolfram, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression, his face red from either anger or blushing.

"You know, when my little Wolf got his soulmark, he was soooo happy! He went around showing it to everybody! Saying "Mother, look! My soulmate will call me pretty!""

"Mother!!"

Wolfram's red face was definitely a blush now.

"Don't tell him that! It's not like I knew my soulmate would be a wimp like that!"

"Who are you calling a wimp?"

"You, you wimp!"

Wolfram escaped from his mother's hug and stepped towards me, anger in his eyes, red on his face.

"Listen up! I don't care if we're soulmates! I refuse to accept your proposal, and I refuse to accept you as my king!"

While yelling passionately, he sweeps his hand over the table and sends several pieces of tableware clattering to the floor. A knife falls near my foot.

"Whoa, be careful!"

"Your Majesty, don't pick that up!"

"Huh?"

But I'd already picked up the knife, and as it turns out, that means guns at noon. Well, not guns, but a duel anyway. Having stated his terms, Wolfram turns and exits the scene, leaving my allies, Günther and Conrad, to explain about the terms of the duel.

At least it sounds like I can choose our weapons and method of dueling.

\-----

Well, it didn't really help that I could choose.

That's what I think as I lie in a bed. I don't remember how it ended, but it seems like Wolfram's flaming beast knocked me out. Günther is by my bedside, fussing over me. He's saying I slept for three days. Uwah, how badly was I beaten?

As I voice my thoughts, Günther claims I wasn't defeated at all. That I instead used water magic and defeated Wolfram and saved the girl. No, Gwendal saved the girl. Well, anyway, the girl was saved. What girl? The one that was accidentally in front of Wolfram's magic, of course. 

Speak of the demon, and he appears. Wolfram enters through the door just as Günther is telling me about how he was scolded by his mother, and my tutor takes a look at him and decides to leave. As much as I'd rather not be left alone with the demon prince that could've killed me, supposedly I won, so I guess I'll wait and hear what he has to say first.

"You're still a wimp!"

Ah, it's like that. He pouts and crosses his arms, turning his right cheek to me.

"...But I suppose you have some merit to you. Next time, fight with all you have from the start."

"Why would I want to fight you again? Aren't we supposed to be allies? And what's with that high and mighty act? Didn't you just come to apologize after your mother told you to?"

"What do I have to apologize for?"

Jeez, this royal brat...

"Anyway! You have some promise, but you have a lot of growing to do! I'll accept you as my soulmate for now, but you'd better work hard and become worthy of me!"

"Why do I have to be the one who'd have to become worthy? You think I'd ever want a soulmate who insulted my mother and hasn't even apologized?"

Wolfram stares at me as if I'd grown a second and third head.

"And furthermore! What's with this "soulmate" system? Am I supposed to fall in love with you because of a mark on my wrist? That's just wrong! Falling in love, you know, it should be free! You see somebody and you feel that tingle in the bottom of your stomach and try to gather courage to confess your feelings and follow her around and then find out everything you thought you knew about her was a lie and feel betrayed even though you never even really knew her and she was a grown-up and you were a kid and it would've never worked out anyway and it's not like she really directly lied to you anyway and I've gotten off topic, and that's not really what love should be like, but it is what it could be like, but the uncertainty of love and loving and being loved back, you know, that's all lost if you just follow the mark on your skin that tells you who you'll fall in love with."

I had to take a deep breath after that long rant that kinda got away from me.

"Did that happen to you?"

"Huh?"

"Somebody you thought you loved was lying to you."

Wolfram makes a surprising, private question. Was he actually listening to what I was saying that closely? That's a surprise, I thought he was more selfish and thoughtless than that, but he's actually paying attention.

"Well, that was a long ago... It wasn't really that big of a deal. She was just a pretty grown-up that I had a crush on and followed around sometimes as a kid... And anyway, they say first loves never last..."

"What was the lie, then?"

"She turned out to be a man."

"What, that's it?"

"What do you mean, "that's it?" It was a huge shock to me!"

"If you loved her, why would her being a man change that?"

"If you found out somebody important to you was actually something you didn't think they were, wouldn't you be shocked too?"

Wolfram blinks, then nods thoughtfully.

"...So it's like when I found out Conrart was half human. I felt betrayed and lied to. So that's what you mean..."

"Why would him being part human change anything?"

"Why would a woman being a man change anything?"

"Ah."

I realize we're from different worlds with different values.

"...Maybe my reaction to that is as alien to you as your reaction to humans for me."

"What are you mumbling about?"

"I was just thinking that maybe we could both learn from each other."

"What would you have to teach me?"

"Baseball, for one."

"I've seen it. Doesn't look interesting."

"Come on, you're insulting my favorite hobby, there..."

My stomach grumbles, and Wolfram calls for a maid to bring me breakfast. Breakfast in bed, huh... What a luxury. Wolfram takes a seat next to my bed and helps me eat, since I've just recovered.

"I don't think there's any need for this... I mean, isn't this way too lovey-dovey?"

"We're soulmates and engaged, so that's to be expected. Here, open up. Ahhh."

Wolfram says it with serious concentration.

"I can do that myself! Give me that!"

I take the spork from his hand and feed the omelette-like thing to my own self.

"Come to think of it, how does the soulmate thing work? Do people fall in love because of the soulmark, or is the soulmark there because they'll fall in love? And does everybody with the soulmark really fall in love with their soulmate?"

"...Who knows. But not everybody marries their soulmate. Some people just never meet their soulmate, and sometimes, for whatever reason, they just decide not to go with their soulmate even if they meet them. Like my mother, for example."

"I see, so lady Cheri... Huh?! Wait, but wasn't your mother all about love? Why would she not go for it?"

"My mother is all about free love. She wanted to have many lovers, and she didn't want to be tied down by one man, so she decided not to tell her soulmate about her mark when she met him. Besides, she says that if it's really meant to be, they'll meet again in a better place and situation and fall in love for real."

"Wow, that's admirable..."

Wolfram's emerald eyes darkened suddenly.

"Yuuri! Are you planning on following her example? Even though you already proposed to me! I won't forgive you if you cheat on me!"

"Cheat on you?! We're not even married! And it's not like I meant to propose to you!"

"Well, you refused to take it back, and I won't let you! We're engaged and that's it!"

"You know, it's not just your engagement... Hey, come to think of it, I haven't seen Conrad. Where is he?"

"Why are you talking about him suddenly? Don't tell me, you like him?"

"I'm just wondering, that's all! And why should I defend myself anyway? It's just, I would've thought he'd be here if he heard I woke up, since it's been three days..."

Wolfram told me about the conflict Conrad and Gwendal had to go quell, and I was ready to go help them, but Wolfram insisted I finish my breakfast and take a bath before heading anywhere.

But really, what's with this situation I've ended up in... A part of my mind still insists it's a dream I'll wake up from, coughing up toilet water from my lungs, but no. This is reality.

\---

After my bath, I ask the maids to leave so I can get dressed on my own, but Wolfram enters my room as they're leaving. Hey now, I'm a teenage boy! If I can't change my clothes with a group of young women in the room, a beautiful boy I'm engaged to, supposedly, isn't much better!

"Yuuri, are you still going?"

He looked oddly timid as he said that, though his voice was still strong and clear as ever.

"Of course! If Conrad's out there fighting, I can't just sit still back here! After all, I am supposed to be a king, right?"

"If that's the case, I won't stop you. Get dressed already so we can go!"

"You're coming too, Wolfram?"

Wolfram bristled at that, crossing his arms with a "Hmph!"

"Of course I am! As a soldier of Shin Mazoku, as your fiancée and as your soulmate, it would be utterly disgraceful if I didn't go with you! You're a rookie of a king, after all!"

Was that last part necessary?

"Well, do as you want, but can you step outside?"

"What for?"

""What for..." I'm going to be taking off this towel and getting dressed, you know? You're going to be staring at me naked before soon if you don't leave."

He at least looks a bit embarrassed at that! But even so, he makes no effort to move at all, staying rooted to the spot stubbornly.

"And? We're engaged after all, so what's the problem?"

"It's because we're engaged that there's a problem!"

After all, as a baseball boy I'm no stranger to getting naked in a small space around other naked boys my age. But in a situation like this, where I'm the only one nearly naked, we're in a bedroom, and the other party is my fiancée, it's completely different!

"...Eh."

Wolfram's face freezes in a strange expression.

"Eh?!"

Still frozen, that same face turns red.

"Yuuri! You... Could it be, you're..."

He turns away in a single movement, like one of those british soldiers with the hats, the heels of his shoes clacking together.

"Well! It's not like I have anything against pre-marital activities! But considering the situation at hand, it would be best to refrain for now! So, I'll leave you to it!"

With that, he marches out of the room, posture still impeccably straight, and closes the door after him.

He misunderstood. He very clearly misunderstood something very badly! Still, the result is what I was hoping for, so I get dressed quickly.

He's waiting right outside the door as I exit. He glances at me, which turns into an irritated glare as he stares at my neck. What is it? You know this is making me, your soulmate, very nervous, right??

"Conrart gave you that pendant, didn't he?"

He says that in a low tone, still glaring.

"Ah, yeah. You don't like it?"

"Tch!"

Does it not suit me? Am I committing a crime of fashion? Well, I'm not all that suited for jewelry, after all. Still, it's an important present from Conrad.

Wolfram takes out a small box from his pocket. Wait, I know we're allegedly engaged, but isn't it too soon for...?!

But what he takes out isn't a ring, but an intricate brooch. He moves in to attach it to my uniform jacket, and I get a long close-up look at his golden hair. It looks really soft and silky... I'm struck with the urge to touch it, to run my fingers through it and get those stray strands in order. My hand hovers over his hair, just millimeters away, as I tell myself not to touch it.

Wolfram straightens his back, his head making contact with my hand, which, staying where it was, naturally slides to rest on his cheek, my fingers brushing his hair.

Ah, it is soft.

Wolfram's lips part slightly as he looks at me, our faces close. His eyelashes are so long, and his eyes so green. Somehow, he's even more beautiful up close.

-Wait, wait, hold on, I'm standing in the hallway staring deeply into a pretty boy's eyes with my hand cupping his cheek. If somebody came and saw this, they'd- Well, they'd think it was natural, since that's the kind of world this is. But if Günther saw, I get the feeling he'd leak tears and make a mess.

"Yuuri..."

Wolfram whispers, reaching to cup my hand, which hasn't moved anywhere.

"Do you want to forget the journey and stay in your room with me?"

My breathing stills for a moment, but I tug my hand from his, resolute.

"What are you saying, Wolfram... Your brothers are out there fighting."

"They'd want you to be safe."

Because I'm the king, huh...

"I'm still going. I want to help defend that village."

Wolfram's eyes darkened, but he nods.

"All right. My men are already prepared to ride, so follow me."

"Huh, you've already prepared that far?"

In that case, if I had agreed to stay, wouldn't we have left them waiting?

"You know, you don't have to come with me."

I say that as I follow him through the corridors of the castle.

"You can't even ride a horse on your own, you rookie."

Augh, he caught me.

Suddenly, he turns around sharply, stopping so quickly I almost crash into him, and locks his determined green eyes with mine.

"And I already told you! If you're going, I will follow you!"

He reaches out and touches the brooch he put on me with a single graceful finger, then lets his hand fall, turning to go again.

"You're not the only one who's worried, wimp."

The words he says are quiet, and I almost miss them under the sounds of our footsteps echoing through the halls.

But I do hear them.


End file.
